John Hart
Acting • Born 1917-12-13 – Died 2009-09-20
Biography
John Lewis Hart, also credited as John Hilton was an American film and television actor. In his early career, Hart appeared mostly in Westerns. Although Hart played mostly minor roles in some fairly well known films, he was probably best known for having replaced Clayton Moore in 1952 in the television series, The Lone Ranger for one season from 1952 until 1953. Hart began his screen career in 1937 with a bit part in Daughter of Shanghai. He continued in a variety of B pictures such as Prison Farm and King of Alcatraz before appearing in two of Cecil B. DeMille's films The Buccaneer and North West Mounted Police. In 1941, Hart's acting career was interrupted when he was drafted into the United States Army. He rose to the rank of first sergeant in the Coast Artillery and eventually served in the Philippines. Following his military service, Hart worked frequently for Sam Katzman; he was given the lead role in the Jack Armstrong film serial. Hart did stunt work and acted in numerous Westerns Hart was eventually offered the opportunity to replace Clayton Moore on The Lone Ranger television series. Based on the assumption that the masked character, rather than the actor, was the true star of The Lone Ranger, the program's producers fired Moore (presumably over salary differences) and replaced him with Hart, who was of a similar build and had a comparable background in Westerns. However, the public never truly accepted Hart as the Lone Ranger, and by 1954 the producers returned Moore to the role. According to Clayton Moore's autobiography I Was That Masked Man, Moore never knew why he was replaced by Hart, and also stated that he had not sought a pay increase. Hart acted in minor roles in two episodes of The Lone Ranger before being asked to replace Clayton Moore for the entire third season. The episodes were "Rifles and Renegades" (#34) and "Sheriff at Gunstock" (#46). Hart continued to act in films for more than two decades, appearing in films of several genres, almost always in supporting roles. Hart appeared twice in on the TV series I Love Lucy as Lucy's old boyfriend and again in the Hollywood episodes as a lifeguard at the hotel pool. In 1955, Hart starred in The Adventures of Captain Africa, which was originally intended to be a new movie about famous comic book hero The Phantom. However, licensing issues forced Columbia Pictures re-film the entire serial and re-christen the hero "Captain Africa." Hart also had numerous supporting roles in the Highway Patrol TV series. In 1965 Hart made two brief appearances on the TV series Perry Mason, including the role of title character and murder victim Jamison Selff in "The Case of the Wrathful Wraith." In the 1970 film The Phynx, Hart played the Lone Ranger alongside Jay Silverheels as Tonto, spoofing their characters. Hart's last theatrical film appearance was in 1981's The Legend of the Lone Ranger in which he appeared as a newspaper editor. He appeared in the television series Happy Days as the Lone Ranger in the episode "Hi Yo, Fonzie Away". In this episode Fonzie, played by Henry Winkler, meets his childhood hero, the Lone Ranger, for his birthday. Hart's other major late appearance was in an episode of The Greatest American Hero, My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys, where Hart gives the title character an inspiring speech about heroism.
Filmography
113 credits
Viva Las Vegas
Movie • 1964
Casino Patron (uncredited)
The Gift of Love
Movie • 1978
Justice of the Peace
Bonnie's Kids
Movie • 1973
Sheriff with Sunglasses
Revenue Agent
Movie • 1950
U.S. Border Patroman
Kate Bliss and the Ticker Tape Kid
Movie • 1978
Jake Terry
The Crooked Web
Movie • 1955
Prince of Pirates
Movie • 1953
Captain of the Guards (uncredited)
Dial Red O
Movie • 1955
Uniformed Deputy (uncredited)
The Phynx
Movie • 1970
Lone Ranger
Wolf Dog
Movie • 1958
Andy Bates (uncredited)
The Cincinnati Kid
Movie • 1965
Poker Player (uncredited)
Marnie
Movie • 1964
Dr. Gilliat (uncredited)
Vacation Days
Movie • 1947
Big Jim
The Ten Commandments
Movie • 1956
Cretan Ambassador (uncredited)
Persons in Hiding
Movie • 1939
Male Stenographer
Warpath
Movie • 1951
Sgt. Plennert
Only with Married Men
Movie • 1974
Minister
The Great Adventures of Captain Kidd
Movie • 1953
Mate Jenkins
The Man Who Loved Redheads
Movie • 1955
Sergei
The Centerfold Girls
Movie • 1974
Sheriff
Atlantis: The Lost Continent
Movie • 1961
Nobleman (uncredited)
Blackenstein
Movie • 1973
Dr. Stein
Day of the Nightmare
Movie • 1965
Dr. Philip Crane
The Legend of the Lone Ranger
Movie • 1981
Lucas Striker
The Fighting Redhead
Movie • 1949
Faro Savage
Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol
Movie • 1962
Billings / Stage Manager / Milkman (voice)
The Courtship of Eddie's Father
Movie • 1963
State Trooper (uncredited)
Adventures of Captain Africa
Movie • 1955
Captain Africa
The Living Bible
Movie • 1952
Matthew
36 Hours
Movie • 1964
Lt. Cmdr. Perkins (uncredited)
Noose for a Gunman
Movie • 1960
Dave Barker - Avery Gunman (uncredited)
Brick Bradford
Movie • 1947
Dent
Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?
Movie • 1968
Policeman (uncredited)
Jack Armstrong
Movie • 1947
Jack Armstrong
The Sandpiper
Movie • 1965
Trooper (uncredited)
Special Agent
Movie • 1949
Ranch Foreman Frank Kent (as John Hilton)
North West Mounted Police
Movie • 1940
Constable Norman
Hold On!
Movie • 1966
Detective #2
Gemini Affair
Movie • 1975
Bob
The Roommates
Movie • 1973
Sheriff Sam
Blood Voyage
Movie • 1976
Jules
El Paso
Movie • 1949
The Longhorn
Movie • 1951
Moresby
Stage to Blue River
Movie • 1951
Frederick Kingsley
Prison Farm
Movie • 1938
'Texas' Jack
Cowboy and the Prizefighter
Movie • 1949
Mark Palmer
Kansas Territory
Movie • 1952
Matt Furness
The Astral Factor
Movie • 1978
Harbormaster
Vice Raid
Movie • 1959
Blond Gunman at Office Door
Stagecoach Driver
Movie • 1951
Slim Cole
Welcome to Arrow Beach
Movie • 1974
Doctor
Along the Mohawk Trail
Movie • 1957
Nat 'Hawkeye' Cutler
The Long Rifle and the Tomahawk
Movie • 1964
Nat 'Hawkeye' Cutler
Riot on Sunset Strip
Movie • 1967
Pritchard
Last of the Desperados
Movie • 1955
?
Mondo Inferno
Movie • 1964
Commentator
Champagne for Caesar
Movie • 1950
Executive No. 4
The Great Ice Rip-Off
Movie • 1974
Klein Salesman
King of Alcatraz
Movie • 1938
1st Radio Operator
Disbarred
Movie • 1939
First Reporter
$1,000 a Touchdown
Movie • 1939
Buck (uncredited)
Hope & Fury: MLK, the Movement and the Media
Movie • 2018
Self (archive footage)
Joe Palooka in Winner Take All
Movie • 1948
Army Sergeant George Malone
Joe Palooka in the Counterpunch
Movie • 1949
Pedro
The Bible According to Hollywood
Movie • 1994
Self
The Pathfinder
Movie • 1952
British Sergeant
The Subterraneans
Movie • 1960
Cop (uncredited)
Illegal Traffic
Movie • 1938
Davis
The Diary of a High School Bride
Movie • 1959
Policeman
Caribbean
Movie • 1952
Stuart
Son of the Guardsman
Movie • 1946
Martin, Bullard soldier (uncredited)
Go Naked in the World
Movie • 1961
Club Doorman (uncredited)
Daughter of Shanghai
Movie • 1937
Sailor (uncredited)
Hunted Men
Movie • 1938
Young Man at Party
Fury of the Congo
Movie • 1951
Guard
Jungle Jim in the Forbidden Land
Movie • 1952
Commissioner's Secretary
Happy Days
TV • 1974
Tales of Wells Fargo
TV • 1957
Weaver
Perry Mason
TV • 1957
Dion
Leave It to Beaver
TV • 1957
Troop #21 Scoutmaster Norton
Highway Patrol
TV • 1955
Sergeant at Headquarters
Rawhide
TV • 1959
Narbo
I Love Lucy
TV • 1951
Lifeguard
Pete and Gladys
TV • 1960
Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans
TV • 1957
Hawkeye
National Velvet
TV • 1960
Bat Masterson
TV • 1958
Wilson
Ben Casey
TV • 1961
The Addams Family
TV • 1964
Scotty
Sergeant Preston of the Yukon
TV • 1955
Sam
TV • 1978
Gang Busters
TV • 1952
The Lieutenant
TV • 1963
Capt. Adam Quincy
The Lone Ranger
TV • 1949
The Lone Ranger
Rawhide
TV • 1959
Spence
Rawhide
TV • 1959
Nate Johnson
Rawhide
TV • 1959
Sheriff
Rawhide
TV • 1959
Rep
Rawhide
TV • 1959
Harley Lear
The Nineties
TV • 2017
Self (archive footage)
Bat Masterson
TV • 1958
Jacobs
Perry Mason
TV • 1957
Jamison Selff
The Lone Ranger
TV • 1949
Duke
The Case of the Dangerous Robin
TV • 1960
Pilot
Gunsmoke
TV • 1955
Crowd member (uncredited)
Maigret
TV • 1960
Character in Corridor (uncredited)
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
TV • 1951
The Greatest American Hero
TV • 1981
Lone Ranger
Rawhide
TV • 1959
Slim
I Love Lucy
TV • 1951
Tom Henderson
Rawhide
TV • 1959
Posseman
Gunslinger
TV • 1961
Corporal
Get Christie Love!
TV • 1974
Sgt. Mallory